How to Have a Successful Interview

I can do all things...Phil 4:13

How to Have a Successful Interview

Interviewing is an art. Interviewing is a skill. Interviewing is a necessity in acquiring employment today. If you believe you do not interview well or do not feel that you can have a good interview, continue on with this booklet. The ‘Four P’s of Interviewing’ provides a technique that will put you in the driver’s seat when it comes to interviewing. As with any part of the job search process, interviewing requires being proactive in your quest for that “dream job.” If you believe a job or a career will just fall into your lap, you are sadly mistaken. Interviewing is an important, if not most important, phase of the job search process. The ‘Four P’s’ will break down into manageable parts “How to Have a Successful Interview.”

The first “P” involves Preparation (not perspiration, though many do). There are two (2) components to preparation. You must first “know yourself” well enough to convey to a potential employer whom you are and what you have to offer. A self-assessment will help you to “see” yourself as you may not have seen before. Take personality inventories or interest surveys that can aid in narrowing down who you are, as it relates to employment. Your mission is to get acquainted with yourself. After a thorough self-assessment you should be able to identify your skills, abilities and talents; know your strengths and weaknesses

In addition to knowing yourself, you should “know the employer” or at least something about them other than they have an opening. Information you should know include their mission and/or goals as an organization; their growth patterns – profit or bankruptcy; any expansion plans; products and/or services; and who the competition is. You can guarantee they are going to learn about you, so why not learn about them as well. The word interview broken down is “inter” meaning between or among and “view” meaning to see or understand. You and the employer are seeking to understand one another to see if there is a potential match. Do not take this “P” lightly because it lays the groundwork for the entire interview.

Once you have completed the preparation phase, next you must be aware of your Personality type. Not only what you assessed from your self-assessment, but the essence of who you are. In the interview, just be yourself and not what you THINK they want you to be or what you want them to see. This is not an audition for a theatrical performance where you are portraying some fictitious character. You are you. Being genuine is crucial. However, you must – and I stress must – find a balance between extremes. For example, if you are very talkative (to the point of excessive), find a moderate level. You do not want to be perceived as someone who does more talking than listening. Check Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at the door.

Before your actual interview, Practice. You only get better at anything by practicing. It is no different with interviewing. Remember it is an art. Tiger Woods is only as good as he practices. Look at his success on the course. You, too, can have similar success with interviewing if you practice. Have family, friends, classmates (if you are in school) ask you questions directed towards a particular job or career. Ask yourself questions and answer them out loud. Resources are available at your local library, bookstores as well as online to learn techniques. The more you practice, the more you become familiar with questions and how you answer them. Do not can your answers, but become so familiar with them that it is second nature when you answer them. I am certain Jerome Bettis (former Pittsburgh Steelers running back) did not run to the line and have to think about what move he was going to make. He practiced the move before the game and when faced with certain scenarios it just came to him what to do. The same holds true for interviewing. When you are faced with a certain question, you just know how to answer.

Now it’s show time. Time for the big Presentation – the interview. If you have followed the aforementioned “Ps”, Preparation, Personality and Practice, you are on your way to a successful interview. You are relaxed because you are well prepared. You allow the potential employer to see the real you. You are able to answer questions completely and with confidence. The interview is your opportunity to shine and have the best performance ever. Make sure you ask for clarification of questions if you are uncertain of what is being asked of you. This is important because you do not want to answer what you thought they asked, but what they asked. On the other side of the coin, ask intelligent questions. Questions regarding things you were uncertain about while finding information about the company; or questions about their timeline for filling the position. Whatever the case, you should have a few of your own questions for the interviewer.

Does a successful interview mean you will get the job? Not necessarily. A successful interview is one in which you went in well prepared and put the best candidate before whomever was the interviewer. It is one in which you come out and know you did the best that you could and that you left nothing uncovered. You have put the pressure on them to either hire you or not. And if you do not get the job, it should mean there is something better awaiting you and not because you bombed the interview. It is also an opportunity to get corrective feedback from them, so that you go in to the next interview with more ammunition. Happy Interviewing!

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Herm Allen is an Academic & Career Coach residing in Clemson, SC. He has worked with students for over 15 years as a student development coordinator, career counselor, tutor coordinator and academic advisor. Herm has also taught career and study skills courses at the college level. He can be reached at herm@hermallencoaching.net. ©2007 Herm Allen